Five years ago, Jackie Burch was terrified of flying. Now, she’s flown many different aircraft types, including a CubCrafters NXCub out of its base in Yakima, Washington, all the way to Oshkosh, Wisconsin — over a 1,500-mile trip — for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh alongside three other fearless women pilots. Megan Palmer, a test pilot, flew the trip in another NXCub, Tyler Peters flew in a Carbon Cub EX-2, and Gracie Main, a commercial pilot, flew in a Carbon Cub UL.
For Jackie, this trip was more than a PR mission or a scenic cross-country trip. It was a celebration of resilience, self-discovery, and community. “I had always wanted to fly with these women,” she said. “It’s still really cool to see female pilots getting together like that … especially in backcountry aviation airplanes.”
Jackie had never flown a CubCrafters aircraft solo before. In fact, she had only done a checkout flight the day before the trip. “I’m not a professional pilot. I have a Cessna 150 I plunk around in,” she said.
The path to becoming a pilot wasn’t smooth. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jackie experienced a whirlwind week: she lost her job, was diagnosed with cancer, and got married, all in seven days. Her then-husband Tobias Burch, EAA 1210089, a pilot, encouraged her to take flight lessons. Though she had a deep fear of flying, Jackie pushed through the panic. “My first 250 hours, my palms were just super sweaty,” she said. “I’m an engineer and I have an unreasonable fear of flying … that if I take the controls the wing falls off.”
Even after earning her pilot certificate, adversity didn’t stop, as her cancer came back. Surgeries left her unable to move her shoulder, which was critical for controlling the yoke. But once she healed, Jackie didn’t ease back in. She soared. She bought her own airplane, trained daily with a new flight instructor, and declared she would earn her certificate in three weeks, and she did. “Literally, I am the person that never thought I could do it, and I never thought I would do it,” she said. “Someone pinch me — is this my real life?”
The chance to ferry an NXCub to Oshkosh came through her PR and freelance marketing work. Despite never having flown an aircraft like this solo before, she took the leap. “I had just gotten a checkout flight the day before,” Jackie recalled. “And the next day, I was off. I didn’t even know how to use autopilot!”
The trip had its share of white-knuckle moments. Narrowly avoiding IFR conditions, navigating around weather, and making tight decisions on fuel and routes provided challenges, but it also had moments of magic. “I mean, it was like a dream come true, was so incredibly fun,” she said. “My favorite part was just having that sense of community with other capable pilots who are up for a sense of adventure.”
They stayed together in Airbnbs and hotels along the way, shared meals, laughed, recorded interviews with each other on GoPros, and flew in loose formation across the country. Jackie said it was so fun being on the radio together, figuring out landings at new airports, and finding the good feeling of a sense of community.
Now thriving as a solo pilot, engineer, and adventurer, Jackie reflects on where she’s come from and where she’s going. “Is this my calling?” she sometimes asks herself, unsure if piloting was Tobias’s dream or hers. But now every time she’s in the air, Jackie knows she’s where she’s meant to be.